Clybot S1 Above Ground Pool Robot Vacuum Review
I ran the CliBot S1 cordless pool vacuum for a full 120 minutes in my leaf-filled above ground pool. Here's how much debris it pulled out.
Reviewed by
Scott Ayres
Welcome to the Product Demo lab where I (Scott) demo products so you can make an educated buying decision. I keep it real, honest and laid back.
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Quick Verdict
My pool had so many leaves in it I expected the CliBot S1 to choke. Two hours later the water was clear and the debris cavity was packed with dirt, leaves, and little branch pieces. For an above ground pool robot vacuum, I was pleasantly surprised and a little shocked.
Buy if you:
- Own an above ground pool under 850 sq ft with a flat bottom
- Are tired of tangled cords and hoses on entry-level cleaners
- Want to drop it in, walk away, and fish it out 2 hours later
- Deal with a lot of leaf and tree debris every season
Skip if you:
- Have a pool with depth changes; it can’t climb up and down slopes
- Have a liner that’s sunk or shifted, since it drifts off path there
- Own a large in-ground pool over 850 sq ft
| Runtime | Up to 120 minutes per charge |
|---|---|
| Battery | 4500mAh, ~2.5 hr recharge |
| Suction | ~1,800 gallons per hour |
| Max pool size | Up to 850 sq ft, flat bottom |
| Weight | 7.5 lbs |
| Warranty | 1 year |
Above Ground Pool Robot Vacuum: Leaves Met Their Match
The CliBot S1 showed up the week a storm dumped half my oak tree into my 24 ft round above ground pool. I’ve run earlier CliBot models, so I knew the baseline, I wanted to see whether the upgraded 1,800 GPH suction and longer 120-minute runtime actually changed the outcome on a pool that needed real work, not a light maintenance pass. What they’ve done with the newer model is upgrade the suction power. It pulls about 1,800 gallons per hour now, runs for 2 hours instead of the shorter old runtime, and it’s solid black instead of the see-through shell the older ones had.
What’s Under the Hood
The CliBot S1 is a fully cordless, dual-motor robot that runs up to 120 minutes on a 4500mAh battery. This is a really lightweight pool vacuum at 7.5 lbs, and it’s really designed for most of us in the above ground pool market. It’s got two little entry points on the front and little brooms on the bottom that sweep dirt and debris into one big cavity inside. That cavity is what picks up dead bugs, leaves, sand, dirt, all that sort of stuff.
Handle assembly takes about five minutes with the included screws, it ships disassembled purely to shrink the box, so do it before you’re standing at the pool. Recharge is 2.5 hours, and the wheels and brooms are rated safe for vinyl, fiberglass, and PVC liners without abrasion.
Dunking It Like Your Kid Brother
Starting it is pretty simple. You push the button, let it cycle through the colors until it stays on green, then get it in the water. What I end up doing is kind of dunking it like you would your kid brother in the pool when you were young. You hold on to it until it can’t flip over on its own, then let it go. It sinks to the floor, takes in all the water, figures out where it’s at, and takes off. You can see it zipping across that pool pretty quick.
There’s no particular pattern per se. It’ll either go around the edges or just kind of go back and forth. When it hits a wall it goes, “Oh, okay. There’s something there.” You can hear a balancer inside when you pick it up, and that’s what lets it redirect and go the other way. So it cleans in both directions. This is a 24 ft round above ground pool, so I’m right there at that 850 sq ft max, and with all my folds and wrinkles, it was getting around much better than I anticipated.
My Sunken Liner Throws It Off Path
Here’s the catch: your pool has to be 100% flat. My above ground pool has sunk here and there over the years, and sometimes the S1 would kind of get off path because of it. I’ve also got a big dip in one spot, and it just went around that instead of climbing it. That’s okay, we’ll still make it work, but if you have any real depth changes, it’s not made for that. It’s not going to get up and down those different depths correctly. So going in, know that this wants a pretty flat pool, and a large in-ground pool over 850 sq ft is more than it can finish in one charge.
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Who This Above Ground Pool Robot Vacuum Is For
This is for the above ground pool owner who’s done fighting cords and hoses. If you’ve got a flat-bottom pool under 850 sq ft and a yard that dumps leaves into the water, this is right in its lane. You drop it in, hit the button, and let it run the full 120 minutes while you do something else. Flat-bottom in-ground pool owners under that size ceiling get the same benefit. It weighs 7.5 lbs, so anyone in the house can lift it out with the hook, no wet-arm rescue mission required.
Fishing It Out and Cleaning the Cavity
When it gets down to about 15% battery it parks itself against the sidewall. You take the included hook, attach it to one of your poles, hook the little handle, and pull it up to the surface. Hold it at the pool edge and let all the water drain out first, which makes it easy to carry over to wherever you clean it.
To open it there are four little clamps. Pop those and the top comes right off. There’s a screen that catches really fine debris, and then you look inside the cavity and, this is what I want to see, dirt, leaves, and little branch sort of things. You rinse it out with whatever water hose you’ve got so nothing turns into algae, then rinse the screen from the outside first to push the stuff off. The screen and motor only go back one way; it’s etched so it’ll line up, and you can’t really put it on wrong because it won’t seat all the way if you do. Pop the four clamps back on, dry off the little charging port on the bottom, and you’re good to charge it.
A Couple Setup Tips Before Your First Run
Assemble the handle before you plan your first cleaning, not the moment you’re standing at the pool with everyone waiting. It ships apart to keep the box small, so do it early. Wait for the button to stay solid green before you submerge it, and dunk it fully so all the air burps out, otherwise it won’t sink and settle right. And always dry that charging port on the bottom before it goes back on the charger. When I cracked the cavity after that first run, it was packed, dirt, leaves, small twigs, more debris than I’ve pulled from that pool in a single session with any corded vac. If your pool is flat and under 850 sq ft, that’s the result you should expect.
Pros
- Upgraded suction pulls about 1,800 gallons per hour and grabbed a shocking amount of debris
- Full 120-minute runtime cleaned my whole 24 ft round pool
- Fully cordless, so no tangled hoses or power cords to fight
- Auto-parks at the sidewall around 15% battery for an easy dry-hand pull-out
- Only 7.5 lbs and simple to open, rinse, and reassemble
Cons
- Needs a 100% flat pool; my sunken liner threw it off path in spots
- Won’t climb depth changes or dips, so it drove around a big low spot
- You have to assemble the handle yourself out of the box
- Capped at 850 sq ft, so it’s not for large in-ground pools
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the CliBot S1 climb pool walls?
No, it’s a floor cleaner. It runs back and forth along the bottom and redirects when it hits a wall, but it doesn’t climb walls or waterline. It’s built for the flat floor of an above ground or flat-bottom in-ground pool.
How do I clean the debris cavity?
Pop the four clamps, lift the top off, and rinse the cavity and screen with a garden hose. Rinse the screen from the outside first to push debris off, then flip it. Get everything out so nothing turns into algae, and dry the charging port before recharging.
What size pool can it handle?
Up to 850 sq ft on a flat bottom. My 24 ft round above ground pool sits right at that max and it finished it in one 120-minute run. Bigger than 850 sq ft and it likely won’t cover the whole floor before the battery drops.
Is it safe for a vinyl liner?
Yes. It’s rated safe for vinyl, fiberglass, and PVC liners without abrasive damage. The brooms and wheels ride the floor without scratching, which is why it works for above ground pools that almost always run a vinyl liner.
How long does it take to recharge?
About 2.5 hours for a full charge on the 4500mAh battery. Since it runs up to 120 minutes per cycle, one charge covers most pools in a single go before you need to plug it back in.
Do I have to get in the water to retrieve it?
No. It parks itself against the sidewall around 15% battery, and you fish it out with the included hook on one of your own poles. Hold it at the edge to drain the water first, then carry it out with dry hands.
Does it work if my pool floor isn’t perfectly level?
It works but with hiccups. Mine has sunk in spots over the years, and the S1 sometimes drifted off path around a big dip. Minor waves and wrinkles in the liner it handled fine, but real depth changes are outside what it’s built for.
Is there a warranty?
Yes, it comes with a 1-year warranty. Check the current listing at the link for the exact coverage terms, since those can change over time.
How is it different from the older CliBot models?
The S1 upgrades the suction to about 1,800 gallons per hour and runs a full 2 hours, longer than the older models. It’s also solid black now instead of the see-through shell the previous versions had.
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About the reviewer
Scott Ayres
Welcome to the Product Demo lab where I (Scott) demo products so you can make an educated buying decision. I keep it real, honest and laid back.
